Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!david@sun.com
From: david@sun.com (People say I'm skeptical, but I don't believe them)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: cat -u
Message-ID: <81237@sun.uucp>
Date: 13 Dec 88 00:20:49 GMT
References: <175@ernie.NECAM.COM> <189@wyn386.UUCP> <8910@smoke.BRL.MIL> <8160@bloom-beacon.MIT.EDU> <146@minya.UUCP> <5077@bsu-cs.UUCP>
Sender: david@sun.uucp
Lines: 13

When these tiresome cat -v (-u this time) arguments break out, I always
wonder if the command name space the user sees has to map directly to the
names of binary files in system directories.  If it's easier for the user
to remember cat -v then that should be the command typed.  If it's easier
for the system implementer to write a single purpose program for this
function, fine.  All you need is an intermediate layer of software (a CLI,
or "shell") to map user commands to execution of binary files.

Now, does anyone have any experimental evidence as to the optimal size
and properties of command and option name spaces?

-- 
David DiGiacomo, Sun Microsystems, Mt. View, CA  sun!david david@sun.com